Meat, fish and savoury ingredients

Cocuus: Alt meat and fish start-up develops ‘disruptive’ 3D printing tech

22-Jun-2021 By Flora Southey

A Spanish start-up is analysing the morphological structure of foods to reconstruct meat and fish from plants and cells.

Meet the 7 sustainable aquaculture stars of the future

21-Jun-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s food arm has identified new projects to accelerate innovation in what is the fastest growing form of food production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Kerry Group-Pilgrim’s Pride deal marks ‘important strategic milestone’

18-Jun-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Kerry Group has agreed to sell its Meats and Meals business in the UK and Ireland to US poultry producer Pilgrim’s Pride for €819m as it seeks the higher growth opportunity offered by its Taste and Nutrition division.

Why food brands have a golden opportunity to be stewards of the environment

16-Jun-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Emissions from food production are vastly underestimated, claims a new study. But its lead author is ultimately optimistic the industry can address its environmental problems.

DSM launches service to cut footprint of meat and dairy as market shifts to environmental impact labelling

08-Jun-2021 By Katy Askew

Royal DSM has launched a ‘first-of-its-kind’ intelligent sustainability service to deliver ‘accurate, simple and actionable’ farm-level solutions that it says will help improve both the environmental footprint and profitability of animal protein production.

What’s new in cell-based? Cultured turkey, bull and lamb expand alt meat category

07-Jun-2021 By Flora Southey

From lab-grown turkey to cultured bull and lamb, the cell-based category is fast expanding beyond conventional cuts.

Can the cultured meat sector get conventional farmers on board?

21-May-2021 By Flora Southey

Is there opportunity for the conventional and cell-based meat industries to collaborate? Cultivated fat and scaffolding experts weigh in.

UK start-up predicts lab-grown sausages on shelves by 2023 after technology ‘breakthrough’

19-May-2021 By Oliver Morrison

An Oxford University spin-out hopes to become the first British commercial producer of cultured meat after claiming to discover a ‘cheaper, efficient and faster’ cell proliferation process.

What does the future hold for reformulation?

19-May-2021 By Hannah Pearse, Head of Nutrition and Scientific Affairs at IGD

With the impending publication of part two of the National Food Strategy in the UK, IGD convened major retailers, manufacturers, food service companies and members of the National Food Strategy team to discuss reformulation, the challenges, and opportunities....

Beef industry emissions can be ‘reduced substantially’, claim researchers

18-May-2021 By Flora Southey

Improvements in land management and production efficiency have the potential to significantly reduce net beef greenhouse gas emissions, according to researchers.

Food majors put weight behind plans to halt and reverse EU-driven deforestation

18-May-2021 By Oliver Morrison

A group of 11 food businesses including Nestlé, Danone, Carrefour Group, Barry Callebaut, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have announced their support for European Union plans to increase supply chain transparency and traceability for commodities that may be linked...

‘Clean meat as a service’: Plug-and-play tech turns meat producers into cell-based pork producers

13-May-2021 By Flora Southey

German start-up Innocent Meat is developing plug-and-play technology that allows conventional meat processors to produce cultivated pork. We catch up with co-founder and CEO Laura Gertenbach to find out how.

Real-time facial recognition tech developed for cows and pigs: ‘Animal emotions directly impact meat quality’

12-May-2021 By Flora Southey

Detecting facial expressions and emotions of farm animals has the potential to improve animal welfare, according to Wageningen University & Research Associate Professor Suresh Neethirajan.

2020 ‘a record year for plant-based, cultivated meat and sustainable protein companies’

11-May-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Last year was the biggest to date for sustainable protein company launches, private investments, and retail sales, according to the Good Food Institute, which has just released its annual State of the Industry reports covering the plant-based, cellular...

Upcycling shrimp waste to make ‘tasteful alternative’ to food flavourings

11-May-2021 By Flora Southey

Researchers are upcycling shrimp side streams to create products for the food and supplement industries, which also makes the production of peeled shrimp more sustainable, explains Associate Professor Nina Gringer from the Technical University of Denmark.

Are consumers on the Mediterranean keen to try and buy cultured meat?

08-May-2021 By Flora Southey

Once on the market, would populations in Croatia, Greece, and Spain buy lab-grown meat? Fresh research suggests it may be a question of price.

Eating sardines regularly can help prevent type 2 diabetes, claims landmark study

07-May-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The health benefits of sardines and oily fish are already widely known. Their high levels of unsaturated fats help to regulate cholesterol levels and prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases.

Tesco urged to consider health impact as it extends plant-based target into Central Europe

05-May-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The supermarket’s goal to increase sales of plant-based meat alternatives by 300% by 2025 could fall foul of the UK government’s plans to restrict promotions of unhealthy foods from April next year, a group of investors has cautioned.

Do consumers want to eat cultivated meat, fat and dairy?

05-May-2021 By Flora Southey

The cell-grown meat and precision fermentation space is exploding in Europe. But how do consumers feel about it? Three start-ups test the market with research in consumer acceptance.

When will cultivated meat hit Europe? ‘The regulatory process is far too rigid and slow’

04-May-2021 By Flora Southey

The question on every person’s (and farm animal’s) lips is put to industry experts from BioTech Foods and Peace of Meat.

Call to rewild a third of UK waters presents opportunities for shellfish sector

04-May-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Conservation groups say that restoring seagrass, saltmarsh, oyster reefs and kelp forests in British waters would help the country meet its climate targets and provide an on trend sustainable food source for consumers.

Do supermarkets associate ‘less and better meat’ with healthy, sustainable diets?

30-Apr-2021 By Flora Southey

What does a sustainable diet mean for UK retailers? Fresh research investigates strategies and challenges in providing ‘less and better’ meat and dairy.

Cell-based caviar: the mass-market health food star of the future?

28-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

A British company is developing the world’s first lab-grown ‘compassionate’ caviar to allow more people to experience the delicacy’s unique taste and nutritional benefits.

Can fish offcuts be upcycled for food? ‘Unappealing’ flavours removed from fillet waste

26-Apr-2021 By Flora Southey

‘Magnetic tongue’ technology could help industry identify compounds that affect the flavours that make fish offcuts unsuitable for human consumption, Nofima researcher Silje Steinsholm tells FoodNavigator.

‘We lost 97% of our business in six weeks’: The Pished Fish on its D2C reinvention

23-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The ups and downs suffered by The Pished Fish, a UK brand that makes Scandinavian-inspired alcohol- and botanical- infused smoked salmon, illustrate the shift in consumer behaviour towards online shopping and the new food categories created by the pandemic.

Designing products for regional preferences offers growth opportunity in meat-free, says Quorn

22-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The alternative protein pioneer says meat alternatives need to develop in line with regional preferences in order to gain global share.

Cultivated meat to reach ‘price parity with conventional meat by 2030’ but will it win the green argument?

21-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

No cell-based meat product has yet to apply for a Novel Foods Application in Europe. But supporters of this nascent but quickly growing sector are bullish on its prospects.

Marfrig discusses its net zero beef ambition: ‘Regenerative agriculture is absolutely key’

21-Apr-2021 By Katy Askew

Brazilian beef giant Marfrig is building on its commitment to deliver a deforestation-free supply chain with an ambition to reach net zero emissions. “Regenerative agriculture is absolutely key,” sustainability chief Paulo Pianez told FoodNavigator.

Regenerative agriculture: How are Danish Crown and Pilgrim’s UK producing pork for the future?

21-Apr-2021 By Flora Southey

What does regenerative agriculture mean in the context of mass meat production? FoodNavigator poses this question to Britain’s biggest provider of higher welfare pork, Pilgrim’s UK, and Europe’s largest pork producer, Danish Crown.

Industry insights from NIZO: Safety challenges for plant-based foods

21-Apr-2021 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

In this series of articles, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and FoodNavigator advisory panel member René Floris discusses some of the big issues in today’s food industry. This month, he continues his exploration of the protein transition by looking...

Carbon labels: Why do some consumers ignore CO₂e information on-pack?

20-Apr-2021 By Flora Southey

Fresh research reveals that some people avoid carbon information where possible. If carbon labelling on food were made mandatory, however, might this change?

Over 65s in Ireland urged to eat ‘more meat and dairy’, but told ‘no drinking tea during meals’

19-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

A report by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has offered updated national recommendations to enhance older people’s nutritional health.

‘In the future, the end product will not differ in taste from wild-caught fish’: Bluu Biosciences on its plans to scale up cell-based seafood

08-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The Berlin-based start-up has revealed plans to have a first prototype product in the form of fish balls or fish paste in 2022 after securing €7 million in funding.

Commission takes stock of EU Animal Welfare Scheme: ‘None of its objectives has been fully achieved’

08-Apr-2021 By Flora Southey

An evaluation of the EU Strategy for Protection and Welfare of Animals has suggested sub-par results. “The EU clearly needs to do more,” animal welfare charity CIWF tells FoodNavigator.

Does the blended plant-based x meat protein category have legs? ‘The biggest challenge is brand positioning’

06-Apr-2021 By Flora Southey

From an environmental and sensory standpoint, it makes sense to create ‘hybrid’ products from a blend of plant-based and meat proteins. Yet experts are dubious the category will take off.

‘We know seafood is a healthy and sustainable choice’: Industry reacts to ‘extreme’ and ‘misleading’ Netflix documentary

01-Apr-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The seafood industry has hit back at a controversial film about the impact of commercial fishing.

Freezer giant Nomad on hot streak with new category buyout: ‘There is no reason for us to stop M&A’

30-Mar-2021 By Flora Southey

Europe’s largest frozen food player has announced plans to acquire Fortenova’s frozen savoury and ice cream assets. The buy-out marks Nomad’s second in six months, and CEO Stéfan Descheemaeker says investors ‘should not assume we are done’.

JBS makes fresh commitments to net-zero emissions and zero deforestation

26-Mar-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The meat giant and world’s second-largest food company has announced a new pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 and zero deforestation across its global supply chain by 2035.

UK meat sector wants ‘overhaul’ of EU export system: ‘The hurdles we face are not going away’

25-Mar-2021 By Katy Askew

The UK meat sector has dismissed the suggestion that Brexit trade disruption can be chalked up to ‘teething problems’ and insisted that ‘systemic weaknesses’ in the export system need to be addressed.

What can European food manufacturers learn from the healthy ageing qualities of the Japanese diet?

22-Mar-2021 By Oliver Morrison

For the first time in history, across the globe people aged over 65 now outnumber children under five, according to the UN. By the middle of this century there will be more than twice as many. In Europe, the population of over 65s is expected to reach...

Cell-based prices forecast to drop ‘significantly below conventional foods’ in five years as alt proteins attract record $3.1bn in 2020

18-Mar-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Global investment in alternative proteins was the highest ever in 2020 and three times the capital invested in 2019 – signalling growing momentum for sustainable alternatives.

Yellowfin tuna ‘heading for collapse’ by 2026: A 20% reduction in catch would turn the tide

18-Mar-2021 By Katy Askew

Yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean is overfished and ‘heading for collapse’ by 2026, according to non-profit thinktank Planet Tracker. The only way to avert this situation is a significant reduction in catch.

Nomad and WWF tie-up champions ‘nature positive’ vegetable production across Europe

18-Mar-2021 By Flora Southey

Frozen food company Nomad Foods has announced a partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that aims to reduce the environmental footprint of farming, with new on-pack communication rolling out in Belgium, Portugal and Spain next month.

Keto for healthy ageing: F&B brands tap into ketone production with older generations in mind

17-Mar-2021 By Flora Southey

How are brands responding to growing demand for keto-friendly food and drink that supports healthy ageing?

The case for country of origin labelling: Food quality, transparency, and value creation

16-Mar-2021 By Flora Southey

FoodNavigator hears from agri-food players – sitting at both extremes of farm-to-fork – and an MEP, who make the case for enforcing indication laws across the bloc.

Unilever looks to fat alternatives in quest to hit €1bn plant-based sales target

16-Mar-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The FMCG giant recently tasked start-ups to find solutions that promise to improve the taste, texture, sustainability and affordability of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The winner? A French company with a patented plant-based fat that closely...